SPAP acquittal contested before court

The Qasr Al-Nil Misdemeanour Court has set the trial date for the prosecution’s appeal against the acquittal of members and friends of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party (SPAP) from protest charges to 13 June.

“It seems that the court details of the verdict are not enough to declare 17 defendants innocent, despite the court finding its decision fitting to its morality and conscience,” SPAP said in a statement Tuesday.

Last Saturday, SPAP members and witnesses to the death of activist and SPAP member Shaimaa Al-Sabbagh were found not guilty by court over accusations by prosecution authorities of protesting illegally. The court also found no evidence of the prosecution’s claims that the defendants assaulted security forces.

The prosecution filed an appeal, which is a regular procedure, especially since it is also the claimant. The court verdict gave a new perspective to the case of the Central Security Forces (CSF) officer accused of Al-Sabbagh’s shooting, amid public fear of the failure to prosecute a state official.

“The verdict proves that the police used force against civilians illegally and with no need,” lawyer Anas Sayed, previously told Daily News Egypt, who now aims at turning the officer’s current charge from manslaughter to homicide.